HGV incident on the M5

A major HGV incident on the M5 that proved quite challenging

On the 3rd January 2018, RS Recovery were called late in the afternoon to attend a major incident involving an fully loaded HGV on the M5. A HGV was overturned and been on fire, which devastated the entire vehicle. Prior to our arrival, the emergency services had put out the fire and once it had cleared, it was apparent that there was no remains of the vehicle apart form the steel structures and debris.

We executed a plan in agreement with Highways England to ensure the motorway was able to be opened the following morning, with enough time for the highways services to undertake necessary roadworks.

Due to the condition of the HGV it was a thoughtful and time-consuming job that involved removing amounts of debris and cutting large sections of the vehicle. We employed the help of a specialist grab hire company to clear the debris and gain access to the vehicle. Once the majority of the burnt debris was cleared, the tractor unit was split from the trailer and loaded on to a low loader. As the trailer was a double deck, sections of it needed to be disassembled and cut to ensure it could be safely transported away from the scene. Once this was complete, it was lifted by 2 of our vehicles and loaded on to another waiting low loader.

Once placed on to the low loader, the sections of the trailer were secured and the load was escorted back to our base.

We understand the driver was pulled out by a member of the public and taken to hospital as a precaution.